Heading Home – May 24, 2013

It is a good thing there was no riding planned for today as there was a mixture of rain and snow coming down this morning.  My plan today was to have a leisurely drive back to Munich through the mountains as I did earlier on the trip when I drove from Munich to Bolzano Italy.  The day did not go quite as planned.

I woke up at 5:30 and planned to leave by 6:00 to give myself plenty of time.  Soon the challenges began.   First, I could figure out how to get out of the hotel parking lot.  There was a barrier across the entry/exit.  They must put it down at night because during the day whenever I looked, it was up.  I tried everything I could think of to make the barrier go up with no success.  I returned to the hotel.  The hotel workers don’t show up until 7:00 (no one on duty over night) so I looked around the desk for a while and then found something like a special coin with some slots on it that looked that matched notches on where money would go into the barrier mechanism.  Bingo!  First challenge resolved. 

There was a mixture of snow and light falling rain when I was ready to leave.  I know the route I planned was going over a passo (pass) in the mountains but I thought things would be OK so I began my planned route.   Unfortunately, as I began to climb the pass the snow became deeper.  Finally I met a snow plow going the other way and hoped that would be enough to allow me to cross the pass.  Not so.  Due to the rain/snow mix and the fact that roads had been warm, the first snow melted and then froze to the road.  I got to a point on the pass where I could not climb any higher due to the ice on the road.  Now what?  Blood pressure rising!  Determined best option at this point was to back down the pass until I could find a place to turn around.  It was about ½ mile back.  Backed down the snow/ice covered mountain road until a turnaround spot was located.  Turned around and heading back down; now on to plan B.  As this route was not longer an option, I headed back to Bolzano and was back to where I started 2 hours earlier.  Plan B is to get on the autostrada (Italian) or autobahn (German) and take the fast way back to Munich.  With the new route calculated on the GPS, I was scheduled to be in Munich by a round  11:30 which would still give me plenty of time to fuel and drop off the rental car and get to my gate for a 2:10 departure.  Second challenge conquered!

While I am waiting in the Munich airport, I decided to put together some thoughts about the trip to share:

• Riding in Europe has been on my “bucket list” for some time and this was a great way to do it!
• During the 5 days, we rode about 1,200 km or 750 miles.
• It was a great experience! When I had thought before about riding in Europe, one question was always do I try to plan something on my own or use a tour package like the one provided by Edelweiss.  I must say I am very happy with my choice.  Having someone that speaks the local language and knew the roads and the ways of the area you are riding in was worth the price.  Manny knew some of the best roads, knew how to put together a good day's ride and was able to adjust quickly based on the weather and roads.  Manny was able to translate when needed such as restaurant menus and he helped me be able to get my hotel bill settled on Thursday evening because I knew no one would be around when I planned to leave on Friday.  Little things like services prevent little things from being stressful events.
• I was very happy with the bike selection available as well as the bike I selected, the V-Strom 650.  While many were riding larger displacement bikes (1200 vs 650) with all kinds of fancy capability such as traction control, suspension adjustments etc, I was able to focus just on the riding.  Having ABS and heated grips was very nice and helpful during multiple occasions but I didn’t miss any of the other options.  The bikes all came with a tank bag as well as trunk and side bags to make it easy to carry what you needed for the day.  I immediately removed my side bags to reduce the width of the bike; which I was glad I did several times during the ride. The tank bag provided quick and easy access to things like the camera and sunglasses while the truck carried extra gear such as a rain suit.
• The Dolomite's provided some of the best road riding in the world.  The roads were fun to ride, technically challenging, and the views were amazing. 
• This ride was what they call a “touring center” because we stayed at the same hotel every night.  This arrangement allowed you to unpack and almost feel at home when you returned each night.  Some of the tours require moving every night or every other night and then a van is provided to move the luggage to next place for you.  Moving on a daily basis may allow you to see more different areas but not having pack and unpack everyday also had its advantages.
• The gear I brought along worked well for the many different conditions we rode in.  My jacket (a TourMaster Flex) has 3 layers  that I can use in different combinations.  For the first 4 days of riding, I used all 3 layers.  On Thursday when we headed south and into the sun, for a while I only needed 1 layer.  When it looked like rain, I added the rainproof out shell and stayed dry.  I purchased (with the guidance of my daughter - Lindsey - Thank You) a new set of riding boots just before the trip (TCX X-Cube Waterproof) and they are definitely waterproof.  I never had wet feet from the rain; many others did.  I also purchased a set of waterproof gloves for the trip and they also did well.  Having the right gear that allows you to be flexible based on the weather conditions and goes a long way in keeping you comfortable and happy while riding. 

When I booked my flights, I was a little concerned with my connection flight in Amsterdam as I only had 1 hour 10 minutes between flights but everything worked out well.  The flight from Munich arrived in Amsterdam on time and it allowed enough time to through “Passport Control” and to the gate for my final flight home and through the extra screen at the gate; not sure why we had another security check at the gate.

The flight from Amsterdam back to Minneapolis also went well; we actually landed about 30 minutes early.  Cathy picked me up at the airport and we headed home.  We got back to the house about 9:00 p.m.  I was up at 5:30 a.m. Italy time until 9:00 p.m. Minnesota time which is about  22 ½ hours with only a couple short naps on the flight back home.  Time to get some sleep and get back on Minnesota time.

Day 5 of Riding – May 23 – The Final Ride

Today’s ride was very different than all the previous rides for several reasons.  First there were only 5 motorcycles riding today: Manny, Todd, Marc, Gerald and myself.

Tom and Jim, along with their wives, are traveling in Italy for another 10 days so they want to ship their motorcycle gear home so they don’t have to deal with it for the rest of the trip.  They planned to ship it via DHL but figuring out the logistics to make it happen was more complicated than they planned so they spent the morning in Bolzano at working with DHL to get it all arranged.

Mohammed and Zahra wanted to go the Harley Davidson shop in Bolzano so they did that today.  I think the number of passes and corners did them in yesterday.

Roads on today’s ride were also very different.  First, we took the Autostrada (freeway or motorway) south out of Bolzano.  This is the first time we have been on any major roads this week.  This is a toll way so you get on ticket when you enter and then pay a fee when you exit.  The first stop was Lake Garda.  This is a large, natural lake in northern Italy that is a frequent vacation destination for many.  The lake is very large; 31 miles long, 11 miles wide at the widest point, and 1,400 feet deep.  Some of the area around the lake is  developed with lots of restaurants, hotels, etc. while other parts are left natural.  Manny knew a great place to stop and take photos (just one of the many benefits of having a tour guide when traveling in a foreign country)! 

 

After riding along the lake we headed back for the mountains.  The road we did next was the highlight of the day.  It was a narrow (1 lane) mountain road but there was 2 way traffic so you have to be careful but the road was a wonderful and challenging ride.  Typically the rock wall of the mountain was on the right and the guard rail on the left.  Of course there were many twists and turns keeping you on your toes but it was a wonderful ride. 

We stopped to see if one of Manny’s friends was home.  The friend is also a tour guide with Edelweiss.  Unfortunately he was not so we continued on our way.  We found out later he was actually by Lake Garda where we had been earlier and actually saw us going through town.  Weird!

We stopped for lunch and had what?  Pasta of course!  However, this was not ordinary pasta; it had Carbinara sauce that was wonderful!  Manny knows the person who makes the sauce fresh daily.  It may have been the best meal on the entire trip!

 

We continued on our way back on several other roads and eventually got back on the Autostrada to get back to Bolzano.  We parked in down town Bolzano and Manny showed us some of the shopping area as well as the fresh fruit market.  By 6:00 we had the bikes full of gas again, back in the garage at the hotel and the ride was officially over. 

 

At 7:00 p.m., before dinner, we signed the final paperwork, completed a survey of the trip and our guide (which I gave most things a very high rating!) and got our very expensive T-shirts.    Manny said the t-shirt is what we paid for, the trip was free!  We had our final dinner today and some of us (myself, Mohammed, and Zahra) will not be joining the group for breakfast as we are planning early departures.

 

Tomorrow (Friday, May 24,) I will be driving back to Munich and then flying from Munich to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam back to Minneapolis.  I have a tight connection in Amsterdam of just 1 hour 10 minutes.  I hope all goes well and I make the connection so I can get home and sleep in my own bed!  I will have been gone for 2 weeks and it will feel good to be home again!

Day 4 of riding – May 22

What a day, what a day, what a wonderful day!  Today had to be the most enjoyable day I have ever had on a motorcycle and I have some good ones in the past!  We completed just over 300 km (about 190 miles) and it was almost 1 constant turn after another.  I have never done so many tight hairpin curves and switchbacks in my life!  In many places they are just one after another.  You look a few bikes ahead and it looks like they are coming at you but going up over head – that is how tight some of the hairpins are!

The day started with wonderful sunshine and it followed us all day.  We had no rain, snow, sleet, or hail or any other form of precipitation today which was a first on the trip.  Second, when Manny, our leader, was going over the route this morning I figured it would be a great day because as he explained the route, it was always passo (pass) this, passo that, passo … on and on.  The sound of music to my ears.  We did so many today, I didn't even count.

The views we had today were also the best so far.  We stopped at one lake that was so clear you could see the bottom.  In the background was the green hills, the snow covered mountain tops, blue sky and white clouds.  It was really a sight to behold.

One of the passes that was on our planned route today was closed.  Manny only learned this once we reached the top.  I believe it was closed for some bicycle event.  As a result we had to drive back down the way we came and then Manny altered our route “on the fly”.  Manny has a great memory for the roads and the layout.  He changed the route and still provided great riding.  He does carry a GPS in case of emergency, but he never uses it.  Amazing!

The traffic for this tour has been very light.  Yes there is more traffic in town and sometime you get “stuck” behind some buses or trucks on a road that would really be fun at higher speeds but that is part of driving in the real world.  Manny said that some of the passes we did today he would never try during July and August because there is so much traffic it just looks like a train going around this popular loop of passes. 

During our morning briefing, Manny explained the true story of why 2 mountains in the areas are much flatter on the top then the rest.  During World War I, there were many battles in the Dolomites between the Germans and the Italians.  During one winter, the Germans figured out the Italians were camped out on top of one of the mountains.  The Germans tunneled into the mountain under the Italians and packed it with dynamite and blew up the top of the mountain and the Italians.  Later during the war, the Italians learned the Germans were camped on a different mountain top.  The Italians made the same attempt to drill into the mountain under the Germans to blow them up!  Unfortunately for the Italians, the Germans figured out what was going on before the Italians completed the work and evacuated the mountain.  However, because the Italians had done all this work already, they decided to blow it up anyway – even if the Germans weren’t still there!

As I said earlier, the riding sequence within the group sorted out early and has resulted in everyone really enjoying the riding pace.  The sequence is usually something like this.  Manny leads.  Todd is usually second; although today he rode 3^rd much of the day.  Gerald is always last.  The reason for Todd and Gerald’s placement is that they have Scala “bike-to-bike” communications between them.  It helps the communications within the group.  Marc, Gianni, and I (in various orders) round out the top 5.  We set the fastest pace for the group.  Jim is usually next followed by Tom and Sue, then Mohammed and Zahar and Gerald as “tail gunner”. 

Tomorrow will be the last day of riding.  The current plan is go to Lake Garda which is a very large and popular lake in Northern Italy.  It sounds like a great way to cap off 5 days of riding.

Gianni will not be riding tomorrow; he left before dinner this evening.  This is typically for Gianni.  As I said earlier, this is the 3^rd time he has done this tour and always rides for only 4 days rather than 5.  Manny said that is because day 5 they usually go to Lake Garda and Manny lived there for many years so he doesn’t feel the need or desire to ride there again.

 A couple of other people (Mohammed, Jim, and maybe others) are still deciding between riding or spending time in Bolzano.  No question for me on what I plan to do.

Day 3 of riding – May 21

We had the best views and vistas today of the trip so far.  We headed deeper into the Dolomites than we had previously as the weather was looking good as we left this morning.  We had dry roads the majority of the day but did get a few light rain showers again and again encountered snow and sleet falling as we cross a couple of the passes.  Not surprising when crossing 6,000 – 7,000 foot mountain passes this time of year.

Susan, Tom's wife rode with for the first time today.  She really enjoyed it. 

Today is Zahra’s 26^th birthday.  She has been a real trooper.  Riding in the mountains and with all the weather is very different than anything they have seen or ridden in before being from Qatar in the Middle East.

I thought I would give you a run down of what bikes the people are ridding today:

• Me: Suzuki V-Strom 650

• Manny: Honda CrossTourer
• Todd: Kawasaki Versys
• Gerald: BMW 650GS
• Jim: BMW 1300GS

• Mohammed: BMW RT1200
• Marc: Ducati Monster
• Gianni: Ducati Multistrada
• Tom: Ducati Multistrada

 The tour is now over half over. The time is flying by, but providing great enjoyment. I expect the next 2 days will be just as good as the last 2 days.

Not much else to say for today - the pictures speak for themselves!

Day 2 of Riding – May 20

The weather was much better today (yeah!)  When we left at 9:00 the roads were wet but no rain coming down.  People were a little anxious after yesterday so everyone put on their rain gear right away.  During the day we had a mix of sun and clouds with a few lightly scattered showers.  From a weather perspective the worst was when we went across 2 mountains pass that were above 6,000 ft.  The temperature dropped to near freezing both times along with light snow flurries.  On the second pass, there was about an inch of slush on the road from an overnight snow.  It was OK as long as you stayed in the tracks on the road where the slush had already been driven through.  Again this provided a good test of one’s ridding gear.  I was again very pleased with what I brought along for these conditions.  I was not cold the entire day.

The roads have been amazing and words can’t do justice to them.  Everywhere we go, the twists, turns, elevation changes, and the views are always changing.  You must always be alert of what is going on all around you.  We are quickly learning that traffic signs and laws are really more of a suggestion than the law.  The biggest one is that people pass whenever and wherever they want.  Sometimes we use this to our advantage when stuck behind a slow moving vehicle.  As long as you can safely pass, go for it!

 

Manuel has been a great group lead and the group has many good riders.  This is not the ride to learn how to ride on.  Manuel keeps the pace at a very “spirited” pace which is good and the group has started to sort out other riding positions based on how fast they wish to ride.  Most of the time, you don’t have to worry about getting lost because there is only 1 road and it just keeps going.  When we get to an intersection or a turn off, Manual will pull to the side and let everyone get caught up before continuing on.  So far, no one has got lost or separated.  Sometimes it may look or feel like some of the riders are way back but typically with a minute or 2, everyone is back together and going again.  Having a good leader really helps.

I hear the gas prices back home are high, but they still don’t compare with the prices here.  This morning, I put in €18 (about $25), this afternoon, it was another €15.  It is time to head to the local cash machine this afternoon.

Sunday, May 19: 1st Day of Riding – Part 2

After we were back at the hotel for about 90 minutes, the sun started to shine.  Most of the crowd had enough after the rain this morning.  They said they were not interested in going back out again today.  However, 3 of us (Todd, Marc, and I) said we were going back out.  I know this will come as a shock to all of you that I would be willing to go back out and get in some more riding!

We headed back toward Bolzano and then saw a few roads that looked go and just started driving.  We got some great views of the mountains.  One of the great things about riding here is that there are so many good roads, you just pick one and go.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera back in the room.  I am sure there will be many more opportunities for great shots. 

 

Marc had to stop for gas; it was an eye opening experience.  After figuring out how to use the gas pump (it was unattended), he found out how little fuel €10 goes buys.  The €10 which is about $15, got him 4.9 liters which is less than a 1.5 gallons of gas!

Now we are back at the hotel and waiting for dinner at 7:30.  Hopefully we get a full day of sunshine riding in tomorrow!

Sunday, May 19: 1st Day of Riding

Last night we had the Meet and Greet to get to know everyone and go over the basics of how things will go.  Here is a quick rundown on the people on the ride with me.

Todd is from the Portland area and his father Jose is from Arizona.  Todd is riding; his father is just along for a vacation time with his son.  Todd does computer work.  This is Todd’s second trip with Edelweiss.  His first trip was a different ride in the Alps last year.

• Todd currently does IT support for the company that provides the lap timing information for major car and motorcycle races.

Gerald and his wife Robin are friends with Todd and they often ride together.  They live in Washington state, just across the river from Portland Oregon.  Gerald was at EDS (a consulting company) and took early retirement.  He also started and then sold 3 separate companies.   He now works for Accenture which is another consulting company working with states on the Public Health and implementation of “Obama Care”.  This is also Gerald’s second ride with Edelweiss; he did the same ride that Todd did previously

• Todd worked for Gerald for some time at the software firm that Gerald started– that is how they became friends.
• After being CEO, Gerald did some free consulting help young entrepreneur CEOs

Jim and Kathy are from North Carolina.  Jim is retired from the paper industry.  They have ridden all over the world on motorcycles.  Jim has also done a lot of racing of vintage motorcycles.  I asked him how many motorcycles were in his stable and he looked at Kathy and she said currently 13.  They both joked there may be some other ones in a warehouse somewhere that she doesn’t really know about. (Jim is the one on the left in the photo)

 

Tom and Sue are from Ontario.  Tom is veterinarian and helps farmers set up very large milking operations.  It sounds like they have also traveled the world both for vacations and with moving cattle from country to country.  He told a story about how they had a airplane loaded with cattle that they brought from the US to Europe and had plane issues and had to deal with keeping the cattle cool on the plane and issues about the European government almost taking the animals and slaughtering them because they has been in transit too long.  It sounded like a pretty complex situation.  Tom and Sue know Jim and Kathy from previous trips and from other motorcycling events they have done together.

• Tom, Sue, Jim, and Kathy are going to southern Italy after the ride is complete to watch the MotoGP motorcycle race there.

Mohammed and his wide Zahra are from Qatar.  I am not sure yet exactly what they do.

Marc is from Quebec.  He arrived after the Meet and Greet so I haven’t had a chance yet to learn much about him.

• Marc works at the same paper company that Jim did for a while but they did not know each other then.  Jim had been with a paper company in the Carolinas’, they merged with the paper company in Quebec that Marc worked at.  Jim and Cathy moved to Quebec for a few years during this time.  Small world sometimes.
• Marc is a Technical Manager so he is responsible for the maintenance of the equipment at the factory where he works.  He is also responsible for purchasing.  The company he works for does all kinds of different things with lumber which is what Marc’s degree is in.  The factory he works at makes laminated products.

Gianni is from Italy.  It sounds like he did this trip previously just last year. 

• During the trip, I learned that Gianni is 72 years young.  I can only hope to be able to ride as good as he can at that age!
• This is the 3^rd Domolites Touring Center ride Gianni has done with Manny.  He keeps coming back every year.
• From Manny, it sounds like Gianni is or was into all kinds businesses, buying and selling several large companies etc.

Maneul (Manny) is our tour guide.  He is 28 (if I remember correctly) and has done tours around the globe both for Edelweiss and also BMW.  I believe his father was also a tour guide for Edelweiss.  It sounds like a dream job!  He did tell one story when he really had to improvise.  They were doing a tour in the Alps.  They stopped for the night and he said it had gotten a little cool but no problem.  When he got up in the morning to get his boots he had set on the deck; he couldn't find them.  They were covered in snow!  They had around 25 people plus motorcycles on top of the mountain with no way to ride them down.  He arranged a van to trailer all the bikes along with a passenger bus to take the people down the mountain so they could continue their tour.

• In addition to tour guide, during the winter he does stunt riding at the BMW factory/museum twice a day as part of the BMW experience.

Sunday started, as most days will, with breakfast at the hotel at 7:30.  At 8:30 is the day’s pre-ride meeting so by then you need to have eaten and be in riding gear.  There is room in the reception area where the Meet and Greet was held that is also the daily ride meeting room.  We had our maps highlighted with the route and some other basic information.  The weather forecast for today is for rain.  Today’s route is being altered to head south with hopes of getting out of the rain.  We will see how it goes.

We left the hotel at 9:00 and rode until 1:00.  The route was cut short as it rained the whole morning.  No sunshine (or even lack of rain) to be found.  At times there was limited visibility making everyone ride extra careful.  We all returned safely; some with dryer cloths than others.  It was definitely a good day to test the waterproofness of one’s equipment.  I had new waterproof boots and waterproof gloves I bought specifically for the trip and they did their jobs well.  I was glad the bike I have, a Suzuki V-Strom 650), came with heated grips!  A nice touch.

Zahra, who rides with Mohammed, was the only passenger that was brave enough to ride in the rain.  She is a real trooper and a bit of rebel I learned as well.  In her country, Qatar, motorcycling is seen as something strictly for males.  She said that one of her friends told her that she had seen Mohammed with a female passenger and Zahra said multiple times that is must have been one Mahammed’s male friends.  The friend insisted the passenger was a female; inside Zahra was chuckling knowing that it was her that was out for a ride!  She is hoping someday soon to even get her own motorcycle license.

We are having lunch at the hotel and seeing what the weather does.  If it breaks, we may head out for another ride yet this afternoon.  If not, the day will be spent by some enjoying the pool and other hotel amenities.